2017 Guide To Spring Break Family Fun In Baltimore

This 2017 Guide To Spring Break Family Fun In Baltimore will be updated as I discover new places to go! Check back for more ideas.

Can you believe Spring Break is around the corner? For many families everywhere, Spring Break means coming up with activities to keep the children entertained. If you are within driving distance of Maryland and you aren’t sure what to do with your children during the long break, you’re in the right place. Featured on Theresa’s Reviews are some top, family-friendly attractions in Baltimore.

Spring Break Family Fun In Baltimore

Since I moved to Maryland a few years ago, I have explored several fun places – Ocean City, Howard County, and more – but Baltimore has the amenities that only a major city can offer. Whether you live in Baltimore or are just visiting, you can find plenty to do with your family. In the next month, I plan to visit many attractions in Baltimore and to share my ideas for Spring Break family fun in this guide.

Maryland Science Center At Baltimore’s Inner Harbor

For an educational and entertaining Spring Break family fun experience, the Baltimore Science Center offers fun for the whole family. With interactive exhibits, children actively learn and explore at their own pace. Whether you are playing tug of war or lifting your child into the air with a pulley, the games are hands on, exciting, and include the whole family. With gigantic replicas, learning about the state crustacean and dinosaurs will captivate children as well as adults.

Since the building has three floors, you can make your way through the building in a couple of hours, but you can find plenty to do if you stay longer. If you have young children, the kids’ area is the perfect place to spend the afternoon. Children will love playing in the water and exploring in a safe environment.

Since this was our first time to visit, I was glad to discover that my whole family had a wonderful time. Check out more footage of our visit to the Maryland Science Center at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor by clicking here.

Children of all ages discover how exciting science can be at the Baltimore Science Center.

Little Italy

After spending the morning at the Science Center, you can walk past the beautiful Inner Harbor to get to Little Italy. Nestled away only a block from the touristy attractions of the Inner Harbor, Little Italy is a neighborhood where you can find beautiful street lights, St. Leo the Roman Catholic Church, and a Bocci court. You can see more by clicking here.

One highlight of our visit was dining at Da Mimmo’s Restaurant. Not only does the restaurant have classic Italian food, but you can also get plenty of the state specialty, crab. I tried several appetizers and sampled the whole family’s entrees. My personal favorites were the cannolis and the Eggplant Soufflé. If you want to try Italian food in Little Italy or have a special occasion to celebrate, this is a great choice. Read more in the Theresa’s Reviews DaMimmo Restaurant Review.

Little Italy offers more than just delicious food! With a bocci court, a beautiful Catholic church, and nice streets to walk down, this neighborhood shows a side of Baltimore that the family will enjoy.

The National Aquarium In Baltimore

When you visit the Baltimore Aquarium, you can easily spend the whole day there. Since we used to have a family membership and have visited several times, we spent only the afternoon there. It’s hard not to love the Aquarium more each time you visit! With five levels and a 4-D immersion theater, the Aquarium is an ideal spot for Spring Break family fun.

Whether you want to see sharks, dolphins, or turtles, the aquarium has many interesting exhibits. Children love getting up close to the sea animals. My favorite is the tropical rain forest room where if you look close enough, you can spot a sloth and a tamarin. The snakes and the jellyfish were especially interesting to see in person.

As a side note, you can get your parking validated there. I would recommend visiting early in the morning to avoid crowds. Check out more about our time at the Baltimore Aquarium by clicking here.

At the Baltimore Aquarium, you can see many incredible sea creatures.

2017 Light City

Last year was Baltimore’s inaugural Light City. This free festival runs from March 31 to April 9th. You can see the entire city come to life with beautiful lights. Some highlights include the 1.5 mile BGE Light Art Walk along Inner Harbor and a mini Light City for little ones. With the “Brilliant Baltimore” initiative, 62 of Baltimore’s most iconic downtown buildings and attractions will be illuminated. Since this event is so visual, children will love seeing the fun lights with you. If you are staying at a hotel in the city, this is a great way to end the evening.

For Spring Break family fun, check out 2017 Light City. Photo credit Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts

The Baltimore Museum of Art

With free admission and a collection that includes Henri Matisse, Man Ray, Andy Warhol, and Pablo Picasso, the Baltimore Museum of Art shows such breathtaking artwork that both children and their parents will be happy to visit. For an enjoyable activity with your children, take them to the Family Sunday art workshops. Every Sunday from 2:00 to 5:00, you can try out a new craft. With guidance from a professional artist, children can discover how good they are at being artists too!

My daughters loved visiting for a book-making workshop. When we went, we spent half an hour making the craft, and we found seating, even though it was a popular place. Children of all ages can get a lot from the experience. From my younger daughter to the pre-teens who were there making art too, everyone enjoyed the workshop.

At the Free Family Sunday at the Baltimore Museum of Art, children enjoy making a new craft each week with the guidance of an art expert!

Medieval Times

At Medieval Times, your family will enjoy the excitement of journeying back in time to view knights, princesses, kings, and more. From eating with your hands to watching knights joust, the experience is unlike anything else. From April 11th to April 13th, guests will receive a free Jr. Knight’s Training and free activity book for each child. The special event is first come first serve. Rates for tickets over spring break are $37.95 for adults and $29.95 for students and children if you use the code SPR3729.

While enjoying your spring break, visit Medieval Times for a fun performance.

The Maryland Zoo In Baltimore

At the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, children will enjoy seeing over 200 species. You can check out fun daily events that include the morning penguin feeding, pelican feeding, and more. Some upcoming special events include Craft Safari, Bunny BonanZoo, Breakfast with Bunny, and Stroller Safari. Children can also splash in the water at the Children’s Zoo and get up-close with giraffes, goats, and more! Read more in Incredible Animal Encounters At The Maryland Zoo In Baltimore.

The Maryland Zoo has many fascinating exhibits that will intrigue adults and children.

Historic Ships In Baltimore

If your children are interested in history, stepping aboard four Historic Ships on the Baltimore Harbor is an incredible experience. You can walk through the sleeping quarters, dining area, and more to see how the Navy workmen lived. Since I focused on learning about WWII when I majored in history, I was especially interested in the USCGC Taney, which was at Pearl Harbor. You can also see the USS Tork, Lightship 116 Chesapeake, and the USS Constellation. My daughter’s favorite was the submarine. She was also excited to participate in a recreation of using a canon on the Lightship 116 Chesapeake. Whether you want to visit for a day or sign your children up for an overnight program, there is a lot to learn on these ships!

From participating in historical re-enactments to seeing a ship that was at Pearl Harbor, the Historic Ships in Baltimore provides a kid-friendly way to learn history.

What are your tips for Spring Break family fun? Share some ideas in the comments!

About The Author

Theresa has been writing since 2010 in magazines and online. Her lifestyle and parenting expertise has been featured in publications, including ShopSmart and Scholastic. She earned an M.Ed in Elementary Education from Vanderbilt as well as a BA in History from Flagler College, and she is a certified teacher.

I love visiting science centers! I think it’s the first thing I first when I go to a new place! Then the aquarium! The light show though sounds so interesting! I love when cities do fun things with lights! I’ll have to keep that time in mind for when I get a chance to go to Baltimore!

I dont have kids but many of my friends kids are gearing of for Spring Break. I will be honest I never thought of Baltimore for being a spring break type of place but this is a great resource for locals.

Baltimore sounds like a wonderful place to visit! For Spring break we are heading to St. Louis this year to visit my dad but he use to work in Baltimore and he always told me about it! He loves it here! I’ll have to check these out if we are ever in the area!

I hope to visit Maryland soon!! I have two friends that live there, one of them is having a baby soon, so I definitely need a trip there soon. Looks like there’s a lot of fun to get into there too. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
-Dean